We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Levine a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Allison thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

How does one measure success? Is success making lots of money? Is success having lots of work? Is success having long-term partners and clients? Is success loving the work you do? Is success finding a balance between work and play? The definition of what it takes to be successful will vary from one person to another.

To me, defining myself as successful is a combination of things. Feeling successful is a reflection of what I have done and where I am today. It is not a fixed point but rather something to work on constantly.

I have owned my own business for 12 years. Every year when I celebrate another year in business, I feel successful. I also feel successful because I love what I do. I work in an industry that excites and intrigues me and I am constantly learning. I have taken on new projects and have learned new skills over the years, which challenge me. And when I learn something new or do something new, I feel successful.

Success is not just about work. To me, success is measured by healthy friendships, taking care of myself, and having fun. If I can do all this, and run a business, then I feel successful.

Allison, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have worked in the wine industry for more than two decades and have owned my own business, Please The Palate, for 12 years. Growing up in Los Angeles, wine was not an industry I knew one could work in and wine was not my first career. After studying film and communications as an undergrad, I traveled and worked abroad, including six months in Italy. This is where I first started to drink wine with meals. While I had intentions to work in film, after traveling abroad, I decided to return to graduate school and get my master’s degree in international communications with a focus on cross-cultural training at American University School of International Service.

After graduation, I worked in corporate communications in the satellite industry in Washington DC, and then shifted to marketing communications and events in the dot.com world in Los Angeles. It was when I was back in LA that I started attending wine classes that a mutual friend taught as a hobby. I was immediately hooked. The more I learned about wine, the more I wanted to know. And when the dot.com bubble burst in 2001, I started to drink for a living.

Throughout my career in wine, I have built and run a wine education business, sold wine for an importer/distributor, and worked for a wine critic organizing trade events. When I started Please The Palate, I was able to apply all of my skills and everything I had learned to my business. I apply my cross-cultural training skills to working with winemakers and wine regions around the world. And I focus on both the industry side of the business and consumer education.

Please The Palate is a boutique agency specializing in marketing and event planning for the wine and spirits industry. I work with wine regions around the world to organize events for the wine trade (sommeliers, retailers, importers, educators, and press). I am also a freelance writer and blogger and write about wine, food, and travel. I am the U.S. host of the podcast Wine Soundtrack in which I interview winemakers and winery owners who share their stories, insights, and some humorous anecdotes in 30 questions. I co-host a wine video series on YouTube called Crush On This. And I host monthly virtual events with winemakers as part of the Forgotten Grapes Wine Club.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After finishing graduate school, I was on a steady trajectory in my career in the tech field. While I did not have a set path, each job led to another job with more responsibility. As I approached my 30th birthday, I felt like I was in a good place. I was an Associate Director of Marketing Communications for a start-up business. I was considering buying a home. Everything was moving ahead. And then the dot.com bubble burst. I was suddenly unemployed and moved home with my parents.

I started taking any work I could find as I looked for a new job. I temped in an office, tutored children, and painted kids’ faces at the farmer’s market on weekends. And, as I had been taking wine classes taught by a friend, I offered to help him. At first, I would help set up a class, and soon I was organizing the classes. And then I started marketing the classes and creating more events. I even started teaching some classes. After five years of juggling multiple jobs, I got a job selling wine for an importer/distributor and was officially working in the wine industry and I have not looked back.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I work hard, meet my deadlines, communicate clearly, and have integrity and I think people recognize that. I do not believe in overpromising and underdelivering. I believe in setting realistic goals and overdelivering whenever possible. I do not take advantage of people and always try to be generous with my time. I believe my work speaks for itself and is reflected in my reputation in the wine industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pleasethepalate.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plsthepalate/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PleaseThePalate
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonflevine/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrushOnThis
• Other: https://www.winesoundtrack.com/us